Just a few years before the launch of the first national breast cancer awareness month, I found a small lump in my left breast. I still remember the cold chill that ran through me - and stayed with me until several days later when a surgeon discovered that the lump was not a tumor. His parting words have never left me: "Remember how you've been feeling." He wanted to make sure I would go on to have regular mammograms.
Spreading the word about the disease and the importance of detecting it in its early stages was - and is - the point of the national awareness campaign. In the almost 30 years since that first campaign, advances in imaging technology have enabled earlier detection of breast cancer, genome sequencing has identified some of the mysteries behind the development risk, and selecting the most effective surgery and chemotherapy is more and more of an individualized choice.
Stanford has a powerful team of physicians addressing all aspects of breast cancer science and care. On Oct. 16, breast-imaging specialist Jafi Lipson, MD, assistant professor of radiology, and breast cancer surgeon Amanda Wheeler, MD, clinical assistant professor of surgery, will give a free lecture, "The Latest Advancements in Screening and Treatment for Breast Cancer," at the Sheraton Palo Alto. And throughout the month, Stanford Health Care will post short educational videos and infographics on a variety of breast-cancer topics, including types of breast cancer, options in surgical reconstruction, and why enduring the pain of compression in mammography is worth the effort. Today, Stanford Health Care kicks off the month with a video featuring Stanford breast cancer expert Alison Kurian, MD, explaining the role that genetics play in disease development (above).
Because one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, I would urge all of us to keep in mind the reality of this disease - and to honor those we know who have survived, or not, by paying attention.
